Came here with our main guide from kayak trip. We originally didn't realize it's a diner as it appears like a tackle/bait shop right by Rapidan Dam. But it turns out to be small family owned joint. People here are so welcoming and nice. Walked in here and totally could sense it is a local favorite Burgers here are ON POINT. Comes with grilled/fried onions. Can add bacon with extra charge (please do yourself a favor AND DO ORDER THE BACON). After 4 hours of kayaking and sitting in the sun, this hit the spot. Onion rings are perfectly seasoned and fried. Batter is crunchy but not to thick and they used the right cut of onion without the extra stringy film. Dam pies. They are literally called Dam pies, and damn they are good. There are multiple types you can choose from - our guide insisted we try the coconut cream and he had the chocolate pecan, and just shared. I loved the coconut cream but that chocolate pecan was out of this world. These pies were featured in magazines and such, and recipes were passed down. Cash only. Quick service. Overall, loved the local feel. Glad our guide persuade us to join him for dinner here. Will be back again. read more

The Dam Store Cafe - The best burger ever. - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

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The food was delicious. The service was awesome. and the pies are to die for make sure you pick up a piece.

We came in to see the most diner looking diner you could get to. Open kitchen and all. Food was very good. We tried chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, eggs and hashbrowns. The pancakes were good, nothing special. They had a little cinnemon roll for 2.75 which were fantastic. The menu was a little confusing. Me not realizing eggs came with the biscuits and gravy. But the menu is very small and simple, which i can appreciate. They had a pepsi spicket which actually was shooting out cherry pepsi.. to me thats an upgrade but i could see some wanting the normal thing. Prices seem very fair, however be ready to add 4 dollars for hashbrowns. The reason i don't mind though, you get good servings. Did not feel cheated. The server was awesome and attentive to multiple request from our table. Downside- cash only or local check I would eat there again for sure read more

Disappointing.... We really want to support them but breakfast here is just not an option due to (most recent visit): 1 kind of juice-a weak pulpless OJ, 1 kind of dark bread (wheat only), and the scrambled eggs were cooked to rubbery & our food arrived just warm (not even near hot.) It was NOT busy at all so that couldn't be the reason. :-( PS: if you order the biscuits and gravy your gravy is a simple flour/milk gravy with pepper-NO sausage whatsoever. (The waitress stated that people often complain about that when served, & yet ownership decides to still leave it that way!? Perhaps at least clarify on your menu.) read more

Best pie in the area and amazing service! Cozy vintage midwestern interior! So happy to have another local diner in downtown again

So I decided to stop in and try breakfast at the now re-located Dam Store. Some of those folks reading this that are old-school and remember the former Wagon Wheel Cafe, will appreciate a visit to the Dam Store. Most of the styling and decor are Wagon Wheel-esk. Not a ton done on the interior, but a very familiar feel. I would describe the menu as homestyle and what you would expect from a cafe. I decided to go with the Eggs Benedict ($8.50) with coffee, and it was mostly your typical bene. If I had a critique I would tell them they don't need to drown the dish in hollandaise sauce. Speaking of the sauce, it was exactly what a typical hollandaise should be. A no frills sauce that delivers on taste. The eggs were spot on, and the ham and English muffin was very average but still tasty. It is exactly what i would make in my home kitchen. The coffee could be a little stronger, but very typical of MN cafe coffee. I also grabbed a couple cinnamon rolls to go and they look great! The service was very friendly and quick. So, if you want homestyle, The Dam Store is the place to go. read more

The Dam Store Cafe - Eggs Benedict - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

Comfort food in a cozy atmosphere. Plus the PIES! Always busy but it is family run and takes care of you. Current location is temporary after the Dam failure but they are planning on rebuilding back at the old location when they can. read more

5 stars for the pie and the business. Gotta put a 2 for the service I had that day. There when they opened and ordered three slices to go. I realize they just moved in and the new volume of support people are giving them is overwhelming, I get it. But it took 30 minutes for me to get my pies. Apparently none of the pies had been sliced yet. I recommend starting employees before you open-it seemed all the workers show when they opened. Will I go again? Of course. read more

The Dam Store Cafe - Get the banana cream- you will not regret it. All are good but bc is the best. - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

Great food and service. Eggs Benedict was great. Hot coffee, relaxed atmosphere and great service.

We had three different pies, banana cream, strawberry rhubarb crumble and raspberry cream cheese. They were delicious!

Super local find off the beaten path near Mankato! Small, family run place with great food. Onion rings had a perfect amount of coating and were nice and crispy. Burger was very tasty. A piece of pie is a must! Amazing variety of pie flavors! CASH only!!! read more

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I'm not sure if they supplied all of the pie for the River Ramble but every time we ride it, the pie is great!

First, let me state that we did not have any pie. We stopped for lunch and my wife and I had a burger with fries. We were both happy with our food. We would rate the burger average. Food was prepared properly as we expected. The person taking our order did a good job and our food was served pretty quick. The staff was friendly. As we were leaving more people had arrived and were waiting on tables. This did surprise me since it was a Thursday, not a weekend. We will probably return some day and try some of the pies. But probably will not drive the distance for just lunch. read more

Fast service & excellent food. Everything was fresh and has the old school diner feel. read more

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Really cool area to have a little store. The service is decent and the food is decent as well. Don't expect super fancy food, it's very simple and it is fantastic at doing simple. Probably one of the most unique restaurants in the area. I love coming back and 100% recommend if you're around it. read more

Finally made it here. I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a piece of strawberry cream pie. The pie was definetly as good as I've read about. The burger and fries was ok. I thought the burger was a little small. Good portion of fries. The place only has about 6-8 tables with counter seating. I probably would go back. Everything is ala carte. Cash only. read more

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Great hidden treasure I found while looking for a place to grab lunch. Just as an FYI beforehand, make sure to keep cash handy, as they do not take electronic payment. Walking inside, I loved the vibe of the hometown feel this place brought. The menu is posted on the wall along with the numerous selections of pies to choose from. There is plenty of seating to choose from depending on the time of day you choose to come. I opted for a fish sandwich and fries, my fella chose a burger with onion rings. We happen to come on an occasion where it wasn't to crowded and got the opportunity to chit chat with the owners. We got to catch them in the midst of making a rhubarb pie and they let me try some of the rhubarb which I've never had. Overall, great experience, friendly owners, and tasty food. My pie of choice was the coconut cream. Definitely light and fluffy and full of flavor. The experience was great, looking forward to making a return trip. read more

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The waitress was horrible! Drove hours to get there for because the pie was supposed to fantastic. Placed the order of food with the pie I wanted. After eating our food we waited for our pie, the whole time watching as they helped people walking in for a slice of pie. Well when we asked for our pie they had run out of it. Very disappointing when you drive that long and they had when I ordered it. But they sold it to someone else. Burger was mediocre at best the fish my friend could only eat about a third of it as it was disgusting. read more

Great little hole-in-the-wall place to stop for breakfast this morning. We had eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns and coffee all were great. for dessert after breakfast we had the strawberry cream pie. Loved it so much we bought a whole one to take home. read more

The Dam Store Cafe - Great Breakfast - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

I was working in Mankato and scanning Yelp! for a breakfast spot when I saw the magic word: pie. Yes, this place was a little ways out of town but I'd ride through the desert on a horse with no name for good pie. So off I went. Pulled into the lot about 10:50 am and walked into an empty "store". Time certainly forgot this place as I would guess it hasn't changed in 50 years. Having never been here I wasn't sure if they served food all day so I asked the guy behind the counter if they were cooking food yet. "Yup" was as much as I got. While any idiot could see that the menu was up on the wall, I'm not your average idiot and scanned the tables and the counter for a menu. Not finding one I went with plan B..."where is your restroom?". During a quick trip to the john I spied the menu...see, a perfect plan. Now as I said, I was in search for breakfast and the since the menu only had the following reference to breakfast "Breakfast $4.00 & $5.00" I asked was the breakfast options were. "No breakfast - we stop doing breakfast at 11:00". It was 11:02. ELEVEN Fing OH TWO. No one else in the place. WTF? Ok, no problem...there's pie, right? So a cheeseburger it was. As I ordered, a mom and three boys came in and sat down in the booth next to me which was enough to distract my host enough to forget about my iced tea. No problem....there will be pie. Cheeseburger and fries arrive in about 10 minutes. Now other reviews as well as numerous newspaper clippings on the wall trumpet the praises of the burgers here. While it was good, it was nothing special. Yes, it was on a nice, fresh bakery bun and obvious hand formed and well cooked. Fries were also just ok. I did finally get my iced tea as well. Pie. By 11:30 the place was starting to fill up. A steady stream of customers came in while I ate. Some looked as lost as I was, some were obviously regulars. The owner came in as well and started helping my "happy" server with the new guests. These were apparently father and son - father having much better people skills but not necessarily better customer service skills. Luckily, an actual waitress arrived to assist shortly after and soon I was able to order some pie. There were 8 or 9 pies on the pie board and I had trouble narrowing it down to my selection(s). Luckily I had decided that driving 20 minutes out of my way gave me full authorization to order two pieces. So, a raspberry rhubard to eat here and a chocolate carmel pecan for the road. So was it all worth it? You're f'ing right it was. The raspberry rhubard was a perfect blend of sweet and tart and the crust was incredible. The chocolate carmel pecan initially looked suspect as it appeared that the bottom layer did not completely set but one bite and I forgot how it looked. I actually tore into it so fast that I forgot to take a photo. It was also incredible. It truly was "DAM PIE" as they call it. Would I drive down from Mankato again? Hell, I'll probably drive down from the Twin Cities for that dam pie. This time I'll make sure I order breakfast BEFORE I hit the men's room. PS - bring cash, no CCs accepted here. Oh, and there's a dam. read more

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Once of the first things I was told when I moved to Mankato was that there were 3 decent places to eat - Number 4, Neighbors, and the Dam Store (I disagree about the first 2). The Dam Store is where it's at! Their Sour Cream and Raisin Pie was written about in Food and Wine magazine, and yes, it's that good! I've eaten here a couple times, and the food is delicious, greasy diner food. The pie, is out of this world. My boyfriend and his dad came up to help me move, and I brought them here. As a non-local, I had to rely on my car's GPS, and 3 of the ways we tried were "Road Out/Bridge Out," so it took a bit of getting to. As soon as we started eating, my boyfriend's dad said "Oh my god, this is delicious, and totally worth the trip here!" When he had the Rhubarb Custard, he nearly died. They have a campground next to the Dam Store, and it's on our list of places to go camping, just so we can come back for the pie! They take cash and local checks only, and there aren't ATMs nearby. When I've been, it's been both kind of busy, and packed - but tables open up fairly regularly. When they're slammed, the service is a little slow - it's just the two of them both serving and cooking. However, it wasn't anything I found unacceptable, and the fresh, homemade food was totally worth it. God, now I want their pie. I wonder if I called them and paid a lot, if they would ship me some... Also, they sell live bait! (It started as a place for fishermen back in the day, and still is. Simple, delicious food.) read more

This review isn't based on the food because we didn't get a chance to try it. This review is based solely on service, and the complete lack thereof. We arrived at 12:30 on a Saturday to find the very small restaurant completely packed with what appeared to be locals. I presume this because when our family of 5 came in the door it got quiet and people stopped socializing. Seriously, like right out of a creepy movie scene. The air hung with the smell of fish bait and fried food, and some quieter murmuring conversations started back up. All three waitresses/waiters made eye contact when we walked in, NOT ONE offered a greeting or even a word about seating or wait time. We stood at the doorway waiting to see if someone would seat us, tell us what the wait time would be, or at least say something to indicate we existed. Nada after three horribly long minutes of nothing. This place is literally smaller than a double wide trailer so you know it's not like they couldn't see us. The gal at the counter even looked up at us multiple times, but didn't smile or say a word. After a few more minutes of waiting we finally left because it looked like at the seating was taken and a lot of people had yet to receive their food. I have never felt so awkward in a food establishment in my life. We drove all the way out there (an hour and a half) to see the dam and thought the high Yelp review of this place would make it worth our time. We were so wrong. It was completely lacking any customer service so I am writing this review to warn others that the high review rates and empty chairs and booth photos it has received so far are just inexplicable to me and my family. We saw none of what others have talked about in their reviews. Even the food being delivered to tables in front of us looked like typical burgers and fries. Nothing new, clique, or fancy. The ambiance of the place was tackle-bait shop with dining. The booths would sit four people of the 1950's size but if you're a larger build expect two people to a mini booth. This is what seemed to be the case when we were there (2 people per booth, one on each side). Again, we didn't have the opportunity to try the food because there was NO CUSTOMER SERVICE offered when we came into the establishment. If you're a local, maybe you're lucky. If you're a tourist, I can't recommend this place for dining. We backtracked to Mankato for lunch, because there wasn't anything else around in the area. We ate at Pub500 which was totally worth it and amazing. read more

PUNS GALORE! Who knew the Mankato area had such beautiful scenery? Surrounded by kid-friendly park and great campsites complete with fire pits and water pump, the Rapidan Dam Store is a facilitator for a great destination. If you need fishing supplies or firewood, they've also got you covered for a very reasonable price. Burgers are hearty and were welcome when our catfish-catching exploits failed for breakfast. The burgers come with plenty of options to cater to your tastebuds. While we were there, there were over a dozen orders over the phone and in-house for slices of pie -- if we didn't have a lengthy drive in an unairconditioned car, we would have brought some home. We took home a souvenir T-shirt and a bunch of great photos of our stay. Owners were highly welcoming and made us feel right at home! P.S. Bring cash or check, as they don't accept cards (and ATMs are scarce in this neck of the woods/cornfields). read more

The Dam Store Cafe - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

Pies are the best! Try the rhubarb crunch! Came here opening day and am surprised that it is not crowded. Prices are very reasonable and food plentiful and very tasty! Great staff will go out of their way to serve what you want! read more

The Dam Store Cafe - Chicken salad andwich on toast and homemade potato salad--delicious! - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

A classic small American eatery. The pie is outstanding! I just had the best slice of Dutch Apple I've ever eaten. The burgers are completely homemade, bun included. Just make sure you bring cash because they don't do credit cards or checks. read more

The Dam Store Cafe - Rapidan Dam Store - American Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

A diamond in the rough and been around as long... mouthwatering burgers, fish, potato salad and THEN the BEST pie ever to finish the meal off... choose from 8 ( or so) freshly made pies (crust is to die for)...we had blueberry/rhubarb but there was also banana cream, apple , strawberry cream to name a few. Enjoy this all in the charm of this tiny cafe tucked between park and the Rapidan Dam...Go and enjoy read more

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They ignored two of us for more than five minutes. The food smelled good, though. We never got any service.

Legendary hamburgers will never disappoint! Also, the pie is fantastic! You have to get there early, because the seating is limited,.... but we just ate our food in the park right across the street. read more

Great food, friendly service and the pie was delish. So much history in this little slice of heaven!

I must have ordered the wrong pie flavor as it was not very good. I got banana cream and it was all whipped cream (which did not taste very fresh) with maybe one banana in the whole pie. I got a cup of coffee to go with it and got two packets of powdered creamer. I did not use it because, really? powdered creamer in a restaurant? I tried putting some of the whip cream/pie in the coffee and it did not melt, which makes me wonder what it really was. The people seemed very friendly though so maybe I will try again and get the potato salad and a different pie. read more

This place is a throwback (maybe two generations). Friendly staff--good food--low prices. I recommend the experience.

Great burgers. Nice park area to sit outside if inside dining is full. Really good pie! Fun place for the whole family.

People come from many countries to eat at this little restaurant. The seating IS limited but the food is the BEST to be found in many places. The pies.........Well, the reviews already rave about them. There are some pies many will recognize such as coconut cream pie and raisin sour cream pie. There are also MANY you wont recognize! One thing many may not know is the maker of the pies learned how from a 90 plus year old lady who use to make them for the stores but no longer could. The maker of the pies has diabetes and can only have small tastes once in a while. Don't tell her I told you this! :) She really wont care 'cause every word is true. You wont believe these incredible pies. I have to say I love the homemade potato salad, also. It's an absolute favorite! There is bait for fishermen here. It started as a tiny fisherman's "eatery" and bait store. Sometimes, service can be a little slow since there is limited people doing this. So, ask yourself, are you after YUMMY food that you might have to wait for or food that is served in a wink? If the latter is true, I'd suggest you head to McDondald's. If you are after some good "homecooking" with a simple menu, head here! Oh and a word for the shakes! You wont be sorry when you get one of these creamy dream delights! YUM! The shakes are made the "old fashioned way". Stop in today and take a load off. :) You'll sure enjoy the food! read more

The last two years my Husband and I have stayed at the campground that is "just down the road" a bit from the "Dam Store". We first read about the campground in one of the Tourist magazines. Neither of us had ever gone "primitive camping" before. However, the price was right so we decided to go "LOOK". That "LOOK" turned into so far two years of staying at this campground and hopefully more. For folks who love nostalgia as well as AWESOME food, this is the place for you! When I first entered the "store" it immediately reminded me of the places I use to go to with my avid Fisherman Dad. To describe the Dam Store, I reflect on when I was a travel Nurse in Alaska. Before going to Alaska, I could never understand why people got a far away look when asked what they thought of Alaska. Inevitably, their response would be one word, "AWESOME. Alaska is Awesome........." Now, when I talk of either Alaska or the Dam Store in Rapidan, I know I get that far away look in my eyes. Twice, I have written articles about the Dam Store and how wonderful the food is. I've wanted to send them in to magazines but then I'm just sure I've done a "shabby" job at covering how very wonderful the "Dam Store" is to me. I Love it! I can't wait until we go back! It looks quaint but once you've ate the food, you will always do your best to return as soon as you are able to do so. Ohhhhhh, Rapidan Dam Store you do hold my heart in your hand..........Is it time to go back yet??? read more